Tag Archives: origami card

My most popular DIY from last year has been my Pinwheel Fold Card. I decided to repeat it. I originally found a photo on the internet of this card, but no instructions, so I created my own version. The card looked like a pinwheel, so I called it a Pinwheel Fold Card.

One Pinwheel Fold Card open and one closed.

After I made the card, I decided to google “pinwheel fold card” and found out that other people have made the card and called it the same name. I even found instructions on how to make them on YouTube. My instructions, however, are a bit different from those on YouTube. My instructions allow you to make this card using any size square. My instructions also doesn’t require straight and diagonal folding boards. Once you have made your first one, you realize that they’re really quite deceasy to make.

I made my Pinwheel Fold Cards in two different sizes.

The basic concept of this card is that there is an inside square and an outside square. The length of the side of the inside square is half the length of the outside square. If the outside square is 8 inches, then the inside square is 4 inches.

Here are the papers I used to make my Pinwheel Fold Card.

I started with 2 text weight 8 inch squares of paper, a card stock 4 inch square in gold and a 3.5 inch square with the card message on it. You can see my choice of colors and patterns above. Using two coordinating patterns would work nicely too.

Here are the steps I went through to make my Pinwheel Fold Card.

Instructions:

Using either a glue stick or double sided tape, glue the two 8″ squares together in the center only. In order to let the papers bend without buckling, make sure the gluing is only in the center of the two squares and doesn’t extend out to where you will be folding (see figure 1 above).

With a pencil, mark with a line the middle of the length and width of the square that will be the inside of the card (figure 2).

Lay the 4″ card stock with the points of the square lining up with the pencil marks that show the middle of the larger square. Glue in place (figure 3).

Fold up the outside paper against the inside square (figure 4).

Repeat around each side of the square. Notice that there are 4 triangles made at the intersection of these folds (figure 5).

Cut out the triangles (figure 6).

Turn the card over. Fold the first pinwheel flap as shown in figure 7.

Repeat for all 4 sides (figure 8).

Turn the card over again and glue the message into the middle of the card (figure 9).

Start folding the sides of the card up, one overlapping the next. Make sure you fold so that the result looks like a pinwheel (figure 10).

When you get to the last flap, insert it under the first, like folding a box lid (figure 11).

The finished Pinwheel Fold Card (figure 12).

In addition to working with the 8 inch squares, I also used some 6 inch origami squares of both printed and coordinating solid papers. Using the origami paper, which was already cut, made the cards go super fast. With the 6″ squares, I used a piece of 3 inch card stock for the inside square.

These Pinwheel Fold Cards were made from 2 sheets each of coordinating origami paper, one print and one solid.

Note: The pinwheel folds keeps the two papers together, so no additional gluing is necessary after the first gluing in step one.